Kelseanne Breder

Faculty

Kelseanne Breder Headshot

Kelseanne Breder

PhD PMHNP-BC

Clinical Assistant Professor

1 212 992 5751

433 FIRST AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10010
United States

A 2023 HRSA GACA award recipient, Kelsea Breder is a board certified geriatric nurse and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Kelsea's career has focused on mental health support for aging health disparities populations, including LGBTQ, persons who are homeless or formerly homeless, and persons with histories of trauma, serious mental illness, and substance use disorders. As a researcher, Kelsea is interested in addressing health equity, building an age-friendly workforce, and using medical informatics to promote acquisition of age-friendly care among members of health disparities populations. She obtained her PhD from Columbia University in 2021 with a focus on nursing informatics for health disparities.


As a psychiatric NP, Kelsea has spent six years working at the Center for Urban Community Services in NYC where she serves homeless and formerly homeless patients experiencing trauma and stress-related disorders, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness. Uniquely she practices her craft on-site, going to the residences of patients who are either chronically street homelessness, residing in shelters or safe havens, or living in permanent supportive housing sites. Kelsea is also enrolled in psychoanalytic training at the New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute, and serves as a per diem nurse practitioner at New York Langone Medical Center, Bellevue Hospital.

As an educator, Kelsea uses arts-based pedagogical methods to teach graduate and undergraduate nursing students at New York University. She hopes to foster empathy, prevent burnout, and build resiliency among future clinicians who aspire to work with health disparities groups. Kelsea was a founding member of Columbia University's Humans In Harmony, a non-profit initiative that uses songwriting to foster connections between cancer patients and health professionals students. She is the recipient of NYU's 2022 Teaching Advancement Grant "Medicinal Rhymes: Hip Hop Pedagogy in Nursing," in collaboration with the NYC-based non-profit Hip Hop Public Health.

PhD, Columbia University
MSN, Columbia University
BS, Columbia University
BS, BA University of Florida

Global
Community/population health
Mental health

American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
American Medical Informatics Association
American Nurses Association
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
American Psychological Association
Eastern Nursing Research Society
Sigma Theta Tau, Alpha Zeta Chapter
Sigma Theta Tau Honors Society, (Alpha Zeta Chapter)

HRSA Geriatric Academic Career Awardee (2023)
NYU Teaching Advancement Grant Awardee (2022)
Sigma Theta Tau Alpha Zeta Chapter Research Grant Awardee (2020)
Jonas Nursing Scholar (2020)
NIH T32 Predoctoral Trainee, Reducing Health Disparities through Nursing Informatics (2017-2020)

Assessing Older Adults Who Have Experienced Homelessness: Findings from an Exploratory Study

Breder, K., Jacob, C., & Yu, V. (2025). Journal of Applied Gerontology. 10.1177/07334648251333845
Abstract
Abstract
We report results of a workforce initiative to increase functional screenings for older adults with lived experiences of homelessness. Thirty-four healthcare practitioners screened 253 patients ages 50 years + using a battery of screening tools aligned with the 4 Ms. Using secondary analyses, we describe practitioners’ participation in the workforce initiative, patients’ functional scores, and a qualitative analysis of “what matters” to patients. Many practitioners did not complete all screenings. Among patient respondents, 6% reported moderate to severe ADL impairment; 24% scored positive cognitive impairment; 32% reported being unable to walk 250 feet; 46% reported moderate to severe pain. Resilience strategies developed during homelessness “matter.” Few participants reported impaired ADL performance, which may reflect levels of independence needed to survive homelessness or to maintain services while homelessness. Findings suggest a need for additional workforce training to increase functional screenings for older adults in this population.

Examining LGBT older adult social networks and chosen families using the convoy model of social relations

Breder, K., & Bockting, W. (2025). Journal of Family Theory and Review. 10.1111/jftr.12609
Abstract
Abstract
Sexual and gender minority (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgnder: LGBT) adults experience heightened social discrimination and minority stress throughout their lives because of their minority identities. LGBT older adults are particularly vulnerable to the impact of minority stress as they are more likely to live alone and to be estranged from their families of origin. To cope, many LGBT older adults have developed social networks that include chosen families and non-biological relatives who care for one another as if they are family. The chosen family resilience strategy renegotiates what it means to do family and is worthy of theoretical examination. We apply the convoy model of social relations as an interdisciplinary framework for examining LGBT older adults' social networks and chosen families. We discuss points of convergence between the model and what is known about LGBT social networks, and we extend the model to account for chosen families and online social connections.

Exploring the Relationship Between Gender-Affirming Care Delivery and Health Outcomes in Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adults: An Integrative Review

Dutton, H. J., Breder, K., & Ma, C. (2024). Transgender Health. 10.1089/trgh.2023.0087
Abstract
Abstract
Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) adults experience significant health disparities compared with their cisgender peers. Stigma functions as a fundamental cause of health disparity in TGD communities. Stigma can be tempered by gender-affirming care (GAC), in which TGD adults receive care that validates their gender identity. There is little evidence focusing on outcomes associated with integrated GAC as an approach to care delivery. This integrative review explores the extant evidence on the relationship between integrated GAC and health outcomes in TGD adults in the United States. A comprehensive search of 4 electronic databases was conducted in May 2022. Included studies were peer reviewed, conducted in the United States from 2013 to the present, and described integrated GAC delivery for TGD adults aged 18 and older. After screening 3328 records and reviewing 135 full-text articles, 15 articles were included in this review. Articles were critically appraised, and data extraction and analysis using constant comparison were used to identify themes and relationships across studies. Synthesis suggested that GAC relates to three distinct areas of TGD adult health: physical health, mental health, and health services outcomes. GAC was associated with better overall health and improvements in HIV-related outcomes; significant decreases in mental health symptoms and suicidality; and increases in utilization, engagement, and care retention. There is moderate evidence that GAC delivery is associated with positive health outcomes for TGD adults. This integrative review provides empirical and theoretical support for integrated GAC delivery as an approach to improve health and address stigma-related barriers to care.

Social Networks of LGBT Older Adults: An Integrative Review

Breder, K., & Bockting, W. (2022). Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 10(3), 473-489. 10.1037/sgd0000552
Abstract
Abstract
Social support is considered an imperative component of healthy aging and has been found to foster resilience against mental illness. The National Institute of Health has called for research to investigate social support as a protective mechanism for health disparities populations, including LGBT older adults. This integrative review is the first to comprehensively examine the characteristics of social networks maintained by LGBT adults age 50 and older. A comprehensive electronic literature search was conducted for articles published before September 2019. A manual search was also conducted among the reference lists of articles yielded. Articles that presented empirical data, described communities and social networks, and examined participants who self-identify as LGBT adults over the age of 50 were included. Nineteen articles met inclusion criteria. The Convoy Model of Social Relations was used to synthesize findings into categories of structure (size, composition, geographic proximity, and contact frequency), function (instrumental and emotional), and quality (positive and negative) of social support. Results indicate that diverse social networks are protective against age-related illness; intersectional minorities, and individuals who struggle with homophobia in the family of origin are at greatest risk for low network diversity, functional support deficits, and risks to psychological well-being. This review identifies that future research is needed to investigate the role that online social networks play in mediating social support needs in this population.

Ten-year retrospective study on the efficacy of a manual physical therapy to treat female infertility

Rice, A. D., Patterson, K., Wakefield, L. B., Reed, E. D., Breder, K. P., Wurn, B. F., King, C. R., & Wurn, L. J. (2015). Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 21(3), 36-44.
Abstract
Abstract
Background • Female infertility is a complex issue encompassing a wide variety of diagnoses, many of which are caused or affected by adhesions. Objectives • The study intended to examine the rates of successful treatment of infertile women using a protocol of manual physical therapy to address underlying adhesive disease leading to infertility. Methods • The research team designed a retrospective chart review. Setting • The study took place in a private physical therapy clinic. Participants • Participants were 1392 female patients who were treated at the clinic between the years of 2002 and 2011. They had varying diagnoses of infertility, including occluded fallopian tubes, hormonal dysfunction, and endometriosis, and some women were undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Intervention • All patients underwent whole-body, patientcentered treatments that used a protocol of manual physical therapy, which focused on restoring mobility and motility to structures affecting reproductive function. Outcome Measures • Improvements demonstrated in the condition(s) causing infertility were measured by improvements in tubal patency and/or improved hormone levels or by pregnancy. Results • The results included a 60.85% rate of clearing occluded fallopian tubes, with a 56.64% rate of pregnancy in those patients. Patients with endometriosis experienced a 42.81% pregnancy rate. The success rate was 49.18% for lowering elevated levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), with a 39.34% pregnancy rate in that group, and 53.57% of the women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) achieved pregnancy. The reported pregnancy rate for patients who underwent IVF after the therapy was 56.16%. The results also suggested that the treatment was effective for patients with premature ovarian failure (POF). Conclusion • The manual physical therapy represented an effective, conservative treatment for women diagnosed as infertile due to mechanical causes, independent of the specific etiology.